Imagine you could hear a melody that remains inaudible to most people – an acoustic illusion that challenges your senses and revolutionizes your understanding of sound. This is exactly what happens in my viral listening test that fascinates people worldwide.
In my new video, I dive deep into the science of sound with VoceVista and reveal the fascinating acoustic mechanisms behind this exciting listening experience. What to expect:
A detailed spectrum analysis that reveals the hidden structures of sound
A dynamic spectrogram that reveals the journey of your sound perception
Insights into the neuronal processes that determine how our brain decodes melodies
The scientific solution to the riddle: How do we perceive melodies that don’t seem to exist?
Let yourself be enchanted by the wonders of acoustics and expand your perception of sound. This insight will change your listening habits forever!
Share
https://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/decoded-the-hidden-melody-in-syl.jpg360480Wolfgang Saushttps://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/logo-schmetterling-s.pngWolfgang Saus2024-11-28 03:46:212024-11-28 03:57:08Decoded: The Hidden Melody in Syllables!
Recording of the webinar “Voice Masters Live” by Philippe Hall from Singing Revealed on March 29, 2022.
Recording of the webinar Next Level Resonance Strategies in the Voice Masters Live series by Philippe Hall from Singing Revealed, on March 29, 2022.
Sprache: English
Next Level Resonance Strategies – Singing Phonetics
What are formants?
What are resonances?
Why are vowels dependent on pitch?
What is formant tuning?
Philippe Hall talks to Wolfgang Saus about vowels and their importance for resonance strategies.
Resonance is a cornerstone of any vocal technique. However, the relationship between vowels, resonances, formants, harmonics and pitch is a complex topic and often confusing.
Wolfgang Saus shows participants how to use a vowel resonance chart to see at a glance why some vowels work excellently at a particular pitch and others not at all. Participants learn how resonances can be controlled by tongue movements and how they can optimize their resonances by using the right vowel nuances. After the seminar, they will be able to deal confidently with the terms vowel, resonance and overtones.
As the Federal Association of German Clinical Speech Scientists announced today, the jubilee volume on the occasion of the DBKS’s 25th anniversary, Voice Disorders – a Focus of Clinical Speech Science, is currently available free of charge in Open Access. “This is a reminiscence of our wonderful colleague and former DBKS board member Anke Bergt, who died far too early and who had acted as co-editor,” said the spokeswoman of the Department of Speech Science and Phonetics and director of the Institute of Music, Media and Speech Sciences, Prof. Dr. phil. habil. Susanne Voigt-Zimmermann.
I contributed a short text on the control of formants to the volume. You can read the volume online and download it as PDF.
In just 3:20 minutes, this listening test opens your ears to a new dimension of hearing that only around 5% of musicians are aware of: overtone hearing. This ability is essential for learning overtone singing. And it is a prerequisite for the practical implementation of vocal and choral phonetics.
https://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/listening-test-2-0-can-you-hear.jpg7201280Wolfgang Saushttps://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/logo-schmetterling-s.pngWolfgang Saus2024-12-09 01:43:492024-12-09 01:43:49Listening Test 2.0: Can you Hear the New Hidden Melody – and a Surprise
https://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/decoded-the-hidden-melody-in-syl.jpg360480Wolfgang Saushttps://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/logo-schmetterling-s.pngWolfgang Saus2024-11-28 03:46:212024-11-28 03:57:08Decoded: The Hidden Melody in Syllables!
https://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/do-you-hear-a-melody-or-syllable.jpg7201280Wolfgang Saushttps://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/logo-schmetterling-s.pngWolfgang Saus2022-07-10 13:47:092024-02-06 12:25:25Do You Hear a Melody or Syllables? Saus’ Hearing Test.
In 2004, a research group led by Dr. Peter Schneider at Heidelberg University Hospital discovered that people perceive sounds differently depending on which hemisphere of the brain processes them. They developed the Heidelberg Hearing Test to determine whether someone perceives fundamental tones or overtones more prominently in a sound. →Take the Heidelberg Test here
My hearing test is different. It evaluates whether someone recognizes vowels or overtones more strongly in a sound. In the second part, it trains the ability to shift the perception threshold from vowels to favour overtones.
Relax and listen to the first sound sample. I sing a sequence of nonsensical syllables on a single pitch. If you recognize a familiar classical melody within it, congratulations! You have exceptional overtone hearing and belong to the 5% of people who can perceive this spontaneously.
If you don’t hear the melody, don’t worry. By the end of the listening test, you will hear the overtones.
In the next audio examples, I gradually remove more and more sound information from the voice that the brain interprets as part of speech. Next, I will sing the syllables by changing only the second vowel formant while keeping the first one steady in a low position. The syllables will then only contain Ü-sounds [Y], making the melody clearer to some listeners.
If the melody is now becoming clear, congratulations! At this stage, 20-30% of people can hear the melody. Perhaps you only suspect the melody but aren’t sure if you’re imagining it. Trust your imagination. Your hearing picks up the melody; it’s just that a filter in your consciousness tells you the information is not important. Speech recognition is much more important.
At this point, I’ll reveal the melody: It’s “Ode to Joy” from the 9th Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven. In the next audio example, I’ll whistle it tonelessly. This will help your brain learn what to listen for. Afterward, listen to Audio Example 2 again.
Is it clearer now? If not, listen to the next example.
In Audio Example 4, I remove the consonants. At this point, the Broca’s area, the brain region responsible for speech recognition, has nothing to do and transfers auditory attention to other regions.
Now, about 60-80% of listeners can hear the melody. If you still can’t hear it, you are likely classified as a fundamental tone listener in the Heidelberg Hearing Test. This has nothing to do with musicality. You are in the company of some of the best flutists, percussionists, and pianists.
In the next example, I completely modify the sound. By using a specific tongue position, I lower the third formant by two octaves until it matches the frequency of the second formant. This creates a double resonance that does not occur in the German language.
This technique is called overtone singing. The ear now lacks familiar sound information, and individual partial tones become so loud due to the double resonance that the brain separates the sounds and informs your consciousness that it perceives two tones.
You likely hear a flute-like melody alongside the voice. Overtone singing is an acoustic illusion. In reality, you’re hearing more than 70 partial tones. Physical reality and perception rarely align.
In the final audio example, I go backward through the entire process to the beginning. Try to keep your focus on the melody the entire time. Feel free to listen to Audio Example 6 multiple times; it trains overtone listening and improves your ability to perceive sound details with confidence.
Our reality is created within ourselves. And it is changeable.
Share
https://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/seth-doyle-unsplash-76523-1500-1.jpg10001500Wolfgang Saushttps://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/logo-schmetterling-s.pngWolfgang Saus2017-08-11 15:31:302025-01-28 01:18:12Do You Hear a Melody? – Take the Listening Test
Imagine you could hear a melody that remains inaudible to most people – an acoustic illusion that challenges your senses and revolutionizes your understanding of sound. This is exactly what happens in my viral listening test that fascinates people worldwide.
In my new video, I dive deep into the science of sound with VoceVista and reveal the fascinating acoustic mechanisms behind this exciting listening experience. What to expect:
A detailed spectrum analysis that reveals the hidden structures of sound
A dynamic spectrogram that reveals the journey of your sound perception
Insights into the neuronal processes that determine how our brain decodes melodies
The scientific solution to the riddle: How do we perceive melodies that don’t seem to exist?
Let yourself be enchanted by the wonders of acoustics and expand your perception of sound. This insight will change your listening habits forever!
Share
https://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/decoded-the-hidden-melody-in-syl.jpg360480Wolfgang Saushttps://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/logo-schmetterling-s.pngWolfgang Saus2024-11-28 03:46:212024-11-28 03:57:08Decoded: The Hidden Melody in Syllables!
… will wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse aus Musikphysiologie, Hirn forschung, Musik-, Oberton- & Klangforschung vernetzen. Mit diesem iterdisziplinären Symposium soll ein neues Begegnungsforum initiiert werden, das zukünftig an verschiedenen Musik-Hochschulorten in Kooperation mit Medizinischen Fakultäten fortgesetzt werden kann.
Sie sind als Musiker*in oder Mediziner*in an Musikergesundheit und wissenschaftlicher Forschung hierzu interessiert?
Sie sind herzlich eingeladen, teilzunehmen und dieses Forum zu entwickeln.
Das Geigenbauatelier Falk Peters veranstaltet dieses erste internationale Symposium im Rahmen des Firmenjubiläums mit Musikern aus dem eigenen Kundenkreis und Bekannten/ Freunden in Forschung und Medizin.
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https://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/230610-aachen-symposium.jpg19312480Wolfgang Saushttps://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/logo-schmetterling-s.pngWolfgang Saus2023-04-28 16:30:492023-04-29 17:32:53Symposium – Music Meets Medicine | Aachen, 10.6.2023
The PAS7+ conference promotes synergistic relationships between physiological and acoustical science, pedagogy, voice habilitation and vocal performance. Since the inception of the PAS conference series in 2002, leading voice researchers and pedagogues from around the globe have gathered to share their work. The outcomes of the conference yield several benefits: areas of singing in need of further examination are codified, collaborative relationships between scientists and practitioners are established, and objective vocal pedagogy is promoted.
Friday, 6th May 2022, 15:00 h
My, Wolfgang Saus’, contribution will be an oral presentation on my “Singing Phonetics Diagram – The Quantization of Sung Vowels”.
This presentation introduces a singing phonetics chart that helps singers match vowels with the strongest resonance, and that illustrates how resonance and vowel color depend on pitch.The diagram shows which vowel nuances produce resonance and which do not by visualizing how the partials of the voice are distributed differently in the acoustic-phonetic vowel triangle for each pitch. In discussions of vocal vowels, it can assist in separating subjective sensations, such as vowel and vocal feel, from measurable acoustic parameters, such as partials and resonant frequencies, and it can provide vocal educators with objective criteria for improving resonance. A new didactic approach is shown for controlling vocal tract resonance to within a semitone, and how this technique can be used, for example, to improve just intonation in ensemble singing.
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https://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/PAS7plus_flyer-e1650927542552.jpg12801024wolfhttps://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/logo-schmetterling-s.pngwolf2022-04-26 02:07:032022-04-26 06:02:20PAS7 – International Physiology & Acoustics of Singing Conference
Recording of the webinar “Voice Masters Live” by Philippe Hall from Singing Revealed on March 29, 2022.
Recording of the webinar Next Level Resonance Strategies in the Voice Masters Live series by Philippe Hall from Singing Revealed, on March 29, 2022.
Sprache: English
Next Level Resonance Strategies – Singing Phonetics
What are formants?
What are resonances?
Why are vowels dependent on pitch?
What is formant tuning?
Philippe Hall talks to Wolfgang Saus about vowels and their importance for resonance strategies.
Resonance is a cornerstone of any vocal technique. However, the relationship between vowels, resonances, formants, harmonics and pitch is a complex topic and often confusing.
Wolfgang Saus shows participants how to use a vowel resonance chart to see at a glance why some vowels work excellently at a particular pitch and others not at all. Participants learn how resonances can be controlled by tongue movements and how they can optimize their resonances by using the right vowel nuances. After the seminar, they will be able to deal confidently with the terms vowel, resonance and overtones.
Next Level Resonance Strategies – Singing Phonetics
What are formants?
What are resonances?
Why are vowels dependent on pitch?
What is formant tuning?
Philippe Hall talks to Wolfgang Saus about vowels and their importance for resonance strategies.
Resonance is a cornerstone of any vocal technique. However, the relationship between vowels, resonances, formants, harmonics and pitch is a complex topic and often confusing.
Wolfgang Saus shows participants how to use a vowel resonance chart to see at a glance why some vowels work excellently at a particular pitch and others not at all. Participants learn how resonances can be controlled by tongue movements and how they can optimize their resonances by using the right vowel nuances. After the seminar, they will be able to deal confidently with the terms formant, resonance and overtones.
Those who would like to prepare themselves optimally for the seminar can take this exciting listening test in advance on the speaker’s website: https://www.oberton.org/en/hearing-test-saus/
Wolfgang Saus on Voice Masters
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https://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/VOICE-MASTERS-2022-12.png10801080Wolfgang Saushttps://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/logo-schmetterling-s.pngWolfgang Saus2022-03-08 16:26:492022-03-28 16:19:25[YouTube Live] Voice Masters – Philippe Hall & Wolfgang Saus on “Next Level Resonance Strategies – Singing Phonetics”
Vokale sind entscheidend für die Klangqualität der Singstimme. Sie entstehen durch die Form des Vokaltrakts, die das Resonanzverhalten bestimmt. Hörbar werden sie durch die Wechselwirkung mit Schall. Ein neu entwickeltes Gesangsphonetik-Diagramm gibt eine Übersicht, wie Vokale, Harmonie und Resonanz sich in Abhängigkeit von der Tonhöhe verhalten. Es macht sichtbar, warum für jede Tonhöhe nur bestimmte Vokale „funktionieren“ und in welche Richtung Vokaltrakteinstellungen verändert werden müssen, um Vokale für unterschiedliche Singsituationen zu optimieren.
As the Federal Association of German Clinical Speech Scientists announced today, the jubilee volume on the occasion of the DBKS’s 25th anniversary, Voice Disorders – a Focus of Clinical Speech Science, is currently available free of charge in Open Access. “This is a reminiscence of our wonderful colleague and former DBKS board member Anke Bergt, who died far too early and who had acted as co-editor,” said the spokeswoman of the Department of Speech Science and Phonetics and director of the Institute of Music, Media and Speech Sciences, Prof. Dr. phil. habil. Susanne Voigt-Zimmermann.
I contributed a short text on the control of formants to the volume. You can read the volume online and download it as PDF.
In just 3:20 minutes, this listening test opens your ears to a new dimension of hearing that only around 5% of musicians are aware of: overtone hearing. This ability is essential for learning overtone singing. And it is a prerequisite for the practical implementation of vocal and choral phonetics.
https://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/listening-test-2-0-can-you-hear.jpg7201280Wolfgang Saushttps://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/logo-schmetterling-s.pngWolfgang Saus2024-12-09 01:43:492024-12-09 01:43:49Listening Test 2.0: Can you Hear the New Hidden Melody – and a Surprise
https://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/decoded-the-hidden-melody-in-syl.jpg360480Wolfgang Saushttps://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/logo-schmetterling-s.pngWolfgang Saus2024-11-28 03:46:212024-11-28 03:57:08Decoded: The Hidden Melody in Syllables!
https://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/do-you-hear-a-melody-or-syllable.jpg7201280Wolfgang Saushttps://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/logo-schmetterling-s.pngWolfgang Saus2022-07-10 13:47:092024-02-06 12:25:25Do You Hear a Melody or Syllables? Saus’ Hearing Test.
In 2004, a research group led by Dr. Peter Schneider at Heidelberg University Hospital discovered that people perceive sounds differently depending on which hemisphere of the brain processes them. They developed the Heidelberg Hearing Test to determine whether someone perceives fundamental tones or overtones more prominently in a sound. →Take the Heidelberg Test here
My hearing test is different. It evaluates whether someone recognizes vowels or overtones more strongly in a sound. In the second part, it trains the ability to shift the perception threshold from vowels to favour overtones.
Relax and listen to the first sound sample. I sing a sequence of nonsensical syllables on a single pitch. If you recognize a familiar classical melody within it, congratulations! You have exceptional overtone hearing and belong to the 5% of people who can perceive this spontaneously.
If you don’t hear the melody, don’t worry. By the end of the listening test, you will hear the overtones.
In the next audio examples, I gradually remove more and more sound information from the voice that the brain interprets as part of speech. Next, I will sing the syllables by changing only the second vowel formant while keeping the first one steady in a low position. The syllables will then only contain Ü-sounds [Y], making the melody clearer to some listeners.
If the melody is now becoming clear, congratulations! At this stage, 20-30% of people can hear the melody. Perhaps you only suspect the melody but aren’t sure if you’re imagining it. Trust your imagination. Your hearing picks up the melody; it’s just that a filter in your consciousness tells you the information is not important. Speech recognition is much more important.
At this point, I’ll reveal the melody: It’s “Ode to Joy” from the 9th Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven. In the next audio example, I’ll whistle it tonelessly. This will help your brain learn what to listen for. Afterward, listen to Audio Example 2 again.
Is it clearer now? If not, listen to the next example.
In Audio Example 4, I remove the consonants. At this point, the Broca’s area, the brain region responsible for speech recognition, has nothing to do and transfers auditory attention to other regions.
Now, about 60-80% of listeners can hear the melody. If you still can’t hear it, you are likely classified as a fundamental tone listener in the Heidelberg Hearing Test. This has nothing to do with musicality. You are in the company of some of the best flutists, percussionists, and pianists.
In the next example, I completely modify the sound. By using a specific tongue position, I lower the third formant by two octaves until it matches the frequency of the second formant. This creates a double resonance that does not occur in the German language.
This technique is called overtone singing. The ear now lacks familiar sound information, and individual partial tones become so loud due to the double resonance that the brain separates the sounds and informs your consciousness that it perceives two tones.
You likely hear a flute-like melody alongside the voice. Overtone singing is an acoustic illusion. In reality, you’re hearing more than 70 partial tones. Physical reality and perception rarely align.
In the final audio example, I go backward through the entire process to the beginning. Try to keep your focus on the melody the entire time. Feel free to listen to Audio Example 6 multiple times; it trains overtone listening and improves your ability to perceive sound details with confidence.
Our reality is created within ourselves. And it is changeable.
Share
https://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/seth-doyle-unsplash-76523-1500-1.jpg10001500Wolfgang Saushttps://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/logo-schmetterling-s.pngWolfgang Saus2017-08-11 15:31:302025-01-28 01:18:12Do You Hear a Melody? – Take the Listening Test
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